pregnancy

How big is the baby: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she’s more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby’s increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won’t faze her when she hears them outside the womb.(source)

Baby’s Gender: Still a secret. I am really on the fence this week. One minute I think boy and the next girl

Clothes: Some pre-maternity clothes are still fitting, although they are getting a little short. The one thing I am having trouble with is workout pants, most are feeling a little snug around the middle. The only ones that feel comfortable are my Lululemon Wunder Crops and well I have one pair and they are a bit of a luxury purchase right now…however I may give in and buy another pair.

How are you feeling: I’m feeling pretty good. I can tell I haven’t been to yoga in almost two weeks (minus the 25 minute at home session last week) because my hips are starting to ache again after about 6 hours of laying down.

What do you miss: Running. Wearing normal clothes. Being able to lift heavy things.

Workouts: This week I took things as bit slow. Thursday and Friday I got some walking in, Saturday was a travel day and Sunday I took the day off because I was feeling some round ligament pain. Monday I was just plain lazy, Tuesday I got in a strength workout and Wednesday I went did an at home prenatal fitness DVD.

Next Midwife Appointment: March 28th.

Other News: We received our crib, a gift from my parents and we finally started phase 2 of organizing the to-be nursery.

Nursery Phase 2 ...because Phase 1 was too embarrassing to show

A few decorations

Seating

Dresser

Clothes we picked up in Boston and at the GAP Outlet (that santa onesie was only 58 cents)

What I’m currently reading:

A review copy of Sacred Pregnancy <– amazing book that I will be blogging about next week

and I’m reading these:

Any other books you suggest to prepare for childbirth, breast feeding and/or the first year?

How big is the baby: At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he’s even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. (source)

Baby’s Gender: Still a secret. We had our anatomical ultrasound last week and we didn’t find out and honestly for the past few days Neil and I have been kicking ourselves for not finding out. Oh well! I did have my first gender specific dream and we had a girl!

Any guesses?

Baby’s Name: Status is still the same- 5 boy names and 5 girls.

Weight Gained: No scale so I haven’t weighed myself this week.

Clothes: I finally bought myself new and much bigger bras, my chest has never thanked me so much. I also picked up a new tank top and two new dresses. I have maternity pants that I like but if I don’t wash them after every wear they don’t stay up.

How are you feeling: I’m feeling good, no complaints!

What do you miss: Running. Sprouts. Wearing normal clothes.

Symptoms: Occasional heart burn. Minor swelling in my hands…I think I will be taking my wedding rings off in the next few weeks.

Cravings: Fresh Veggies and Fruit. Lots of berries.

How are you sleeping: This week I have been sleeping pretty well. I think it’s the bigger bed and not having to get up for work.

Workouts: I have been on top of my workouts this week! Lots of walks and I did an at home mini-yoga session as well. I will blog about the details in tomorrows Fitness Friday post.

Next Midwife Appointment: March 28th.

Babymoon: We are currently on our pre-baby getaway. It’s not exactly a babymoon as we are staying with my parents but we have been having a great time and have been able to have a few days to ourself- last Saturday in Boston and yesterday we went to Charleston.

Hello from Logan Airport! Hubz and I are currently awaiting our flight to Raleigh to meet my parents and head to Myrtle Beach (where I hear it is currently pouring). Until our flight we are hanging out, enjoying the free wi-fi and “enjoying” an airport breakfast of Starbucks oatmeal, OJ (for me), coffee (for him) and a fruit cup (to share).

REWIND!

Lets rewind a bit to Friday….

Friday afternoon started our Babymoon journey to Myrtle Beach by way of Boston, but first we had to stop into our midwife office for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound and appointment. We have a very active baby growing inside me and it took forever for the tech to get all the shots she needed but she finally got all the necessary shots and even caught a side profile for us. We did not catch a glimpse of the goods so we still have no idea what we are having. Well I mean we know it’s either a boy or a girl …we hope anyways. After our appointment we headed to Boston where we first stopped to have flatbread (our post appointment tradition) at Flatbread Company in Somerville. We ordered the vegan flatbread and it was good but we both agreed American Flatbread in Vermont is so much better. After dinner we checked into the Westin Copley Place where we passed out pretty quickly.

Saturday morning started off as it always does when we travel to Boston with bagels and lattes at our favorite spot- Espresso Royale on Newbury Street. We both ordered our favorite whole wheat everything bagels with veggie tofu spread and tomatoes (and sprouts for husband

After breakfast we took a walk around Newbury Street and the Prudential Center (actually that’s what we spent most of the day doing) and eventually we ended up at OMBE Boston for our massages. It felt wonderful to get a massage and just relax.

After our massage we strolled down Newbury Street and then stopped into my favorite college spot The Otherside Cafe where we shared a pot of tea and a big bowl of fruit with raw chocolate mousse.

After a little more shopping and strolling we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Estragon Tapas Bar where I actually purchased a Living Social deal for a few weeks back. I started with a virgin pineapple mojito which was amazing and for my second drink I asked the waiter if he could have the bartender make another virgin cocktail and he came back with this amazing ginger brew concoction that had caradmom, cinnamon, salt and one other thing I can’t remember.

The restaurant was dimly lit so I didn’t take any photos of the food but everything was so delicious! They have the vegetarian and vegan options labeled right on the menu which makes things so much easier. They have an amazing waitstaff, our water glasses were always full and our waiter attentive, friendly and knowledgeable.

We were tempted to go with the vegetarian paella but decided to try a variety of tapas, we had:

We really enjoyed all of the dishes but our favorites were the spinach and the leeks. I actually wasn’t really interested in the spinach but Neil insisted that we order it and I am so glad we did because it was AMAZING. I would really recommend trying this restaurant if you visit Boston.

How big is the baby: Baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot (source)

Baby’s Gender: Still a secret. We actually go for our anatomical ultrasound tomorrow and I had a moment of weakness and told the husband I wanted to know but he convinced me it will be more fun to wait, so wait we will.

Baby’s Name: Status is still the same- 5 boy names and 5 girls. I actually haven’t even thought about names in weeks.

Weight Gained: Not sure. 11-14lbs, maybe?

Clothes: Clothes are doing fine. I actually just went through my closet (again) because we are headed south on vacation and I needed some non-winter clothes to wear. I have a few non-maternity items that still fit so I only ended up picking up a two new tops.

How are you feeling: I’m feeling good. My hips are still sore after a nights sleep and I hear stretching before bed really helps so that is on my “to incorporate” list and we’ll see how it goes.

What do you miss: Running. Staying up later. Sleeping in past 4 or 5am.

How are you sleeping: This week has been pretty bad. Neil has been working crazy hours and so he is so over tired that when he finally comes to bed he a) wakes me up because pregnancy has made me a light sleeper and b) he is a mouth breather and it is at it’s worst when he is over tired. I have ended up getting up and sleeping on the couch at times because his mouth breathing was driving me crazy. Last night he was able to go to bed at a decent hour and I think we both slept better even though I still woke up at 4am.

Workouts: I really slacked this week. I had one nice long walk with Neil and I went to pre-natal yoga (which I will do a separate post on soon), but otherwise that is it. I have no excuses. I was lazy this week and spent more time on the couch than I should have. My workout week starts on Thursday so today I will be heading to pre-natal yoga and then next week I am planning on doing a lot of long walks, it will be so nice to not have to dodge ice on my walks! My goal is to do at least 2 long walks, 1 pre-natal yoga class or at home session and 1 of my pregnancy workout DVD’s (more on these another day) each week.

Next Midwife Appointment: Tomorrow! We have our ultrasound and then midwife appointment and then we are off on vacation!

Babymoon: We are headed on our babymoon(ish) trip starting tomorrow. We are off to Boston first where we are treating ourselves to Saturday afternoon massages. Sunday we fly out to NC where my parents will pick us up and we will be heading to their condo in Myrtle Beach for the week. It will be so nice to get away! I have been checking the weather everyday (anxious much?) and it looks like what was looking like a nice sunny vacation at the beginning of this week has turned into rain, booo! Oh well, at least we are getting away!

Clothes: I picked up two new tops for our upcoming vacation but I really need to get myself a dress or some capris as well so I’m hoping that when we are in Boston I’ll find a few things to take on our trip.

How are you feeling: I’m feeling good. I have been a little tired out at nights and have been going to bed early which isn’t always fun since Neil has been working late; when I go to bed early that means we hardly see each other during the week. I finally took a real nap yesterday and I ended up staying up until 10pm and getting a bunch of things done, so I think more frequent naps might be in order.

What do you miss: Wearing normal clothes. Wine. Running.

Symptoms: Sore legs in the morning. Heartburn. Shortness of Breath <– I feel so embarrassed about this however it’s a normal symptom because as your uterus expands, it pushes against your lungs.

How are you sleeping: I have actual been sleeping better, I found a position that is somewhat comfortable and I allow myself to sleep on my right side for short periods-about 15 minutes.

Other: We go in for our anatomical ultrasound on March 2nd and I am nervous, this is normal right? We still won’t be finding out what we are having but the anatomical ultrasound but it will check:

baby’s growing and developing properly. This generally includes taking baby’s heartbeat, checking for physical abnormalities, confirming any suspicions of twins or other multiples, measuring the amount of amniotic fluid (to much or too little could signal a problem), checking the location of your placenta to be sure it isn’t covering the cervix, and taking lots of measurements to make sure baby is the right size for his gestational age. (If your babe measures very large or very small, you may be given a new due date! (source)

Neil and I have decided that we want to keep the sex of our baby a surprise until the birth. This doesn’t mean we aren’t curious as to what we are having so this week I decided to look at some of the ways people attempt to predict the sex of their baby without the use of an ultrasound. I was inspired by these two blogs: here and here.

The Predictions Based on Gender Prediction Charts and Old Wives Tales:

Time of Conception: GIRLI think we conceived on the day before I ovulated. I have read that male sperm swim faster but die out sooner and girl sperm swim slower but hang out longer, so if we didn’t conceive on the day of ovulation I guess girl? All of this is a bit confusing.

Cravings: GIRLIt is said that if you crave sweet it’s a girl and if you crave salt you’re having a boy. I have been craving lots of fruit and coconut ice cream lately which is really abnormal for me. I honestly have had more coconut ice cream in the last 20 weeks than I have had in the last few years.Dreams: ??I haven’t had any dreams (that I remember) that have been about the baby- I feel like this is really weird.

Sleeping Preference: GIRLI have read that you prefer sleeping on your left side, you’ll have a boy and if you prefer your right side a girl. Well if you have been following my past pregnancy updates I really can’t stop talking about how much I hate sleeping on my left side.

Morning Sickness Severity: GIRLApparently extreme nausea or nausea that lingers all day means you are having a girl. Well I had 12 weeks of all-day sickness.

Mayan Table: BOYSeems to be basically the same as the Chinese Gender Predictor.

Wedding Ring: BOYHang your wedding ring from a strand of the father’s hair over your belly. If the ring circles, it’s girl; if it swings back and forth, it’s a boy. (source) We didn’t use a strand of Neil’s hair (that is too precious to remove and it’s not long enough) instead I used a string.

Hands- Soft or Dry?: BOYIf your hands are dry-boy. If your hands soft-girl. Well my hands have been dry lately…however we are having a cold dry winter in Vermont so I blame it on the weather.

Citrus: GIRLApparently if you’re craving citrus, you’re having a girl. Well let me tell you for the first 16 weeks of my pregnancy I couldn’t get enough citrus and although my cravings have calmed down I still love me some citrus.

Skin: GIRLApparently if your skin breaks out, expect a girl and my skin has been awful!

High or Low?: BOYIf baby is low, expect a boy. High, it’s a girl.–Well I am carrying low. However I have also read that where you carry is based on your body type and whether you have a good set of abs before conception.

Nature’s language: GIRLIt is believed that nature communicates with humans through forms. In this case, if the mother’s womb is round, it is a girl. If it is pointed, it is a boy (source). I am feeling like I look pretty round so I guess girl?

Heart Beat: GIRLIs Baby’s heart beat faster than 140 beats per minute (bpm)? It’s a girl. Less than 130 bpm? It’s a boy (source). At our 12 week appointment the heart rate was high 160’s and at our 16 week appointment the heart rate was in the 150’s.

Gut Feeling: BOY er GIRL….um BOY?
For a most of the pregnancy I have thought boy but now after all these predictors I don’t know maybe girl? I guess we’ll find out in 20 or so weeks!

How big is the baby: About the size of mango or a large heirloom tomato

Suspicion of Baby’s Gender: Yesterday I said I can feel her kicking…so girl?

Baby’s Name: Still 5 and 5. No new ones.

Weight Gained: No idea.

Clothes: Blargh. My clothes are getting tighter around the middle but I finally got myself a pair of Old Navy Skinny Jean Maternity Pants and I love them. I also got a cute coat type thing as well which I love. Now I just need to figure out a few new items for our upcoming babymoon.

How are you feeling: I am feeling pretty good. Right now I am exhausted and irritable after an extra long work day which involved me driving to and from Sugarbush (about an hour and fifteen minutes from our home).

What do you miss: I miss wine.

Cravings:

shortly after posting this Neil and I went out to pick up coconut ice cream:

Symptoms: Sleeping is still not going well, some days it’s fine and others it’s awful. SO THIRSTY- today being up on the mountain I gulped back 9 pints of water and half a bottle of orange juice over the 6.5 hours I was there….and now I’m having more. I don’t know if you call it a symptom but I feel the baby more and more.

Workouts this week: one 60-minute walk, one 20-minute leg and arm workout and one stair stepping session

Suspicion of Baby’s Gender (no we are not finding out): I’m still leaning towards a boy and so is Neil.

Baby’s Name: We have 5 girl and 5 boy names picked out with potential middle names as well. We had a bit sit down last weekend and narrowed a combined list of 20 boys names and 12 girls names down to our favorites based on the meaning of the name, the origin or the name and potential nicknames. A few names we like got cut quickly because of nicknames that we hated like for Adeline it would be Addie which I just couldn’t approve of so we now have a small list and will narrow it down a little more the month before and then make a final decision when we meet the little one.

Weight Gained: Depends on the day and the time of day but between 8-10lbs which at 18 weeks I’m pretty happy with since my midwives say I should gain around 15-25 lbs.

Clothes: My clothes are all getting a little snug around the waist and the chest so I am wearing more and more of the maternity clothes I have purchased (love the sales on Gap Maternity at Baby Gap- seriously tons of items for $2-10). I also had to finally buy myself a pair of maternity jeans because the jeggings from Old Navy that were wonderful for the first 17 weeks are now getting uncomfortable due to where the elastic hits me even though they still fit. I am also now on the prowl for some good deals on Spring clothes for our upcoming trip to South Carolina.

How are you feeling: I am feeling pretty good. Tired in the afternoons especially after having a few awful nights of restless sleep; I really don’t think I’ll ever like sleeping on my left side.

What do you miss: sleeping on my back, my stomach, my right side…basically any position that isn’t my let side.

Symptoms: Trouble sleeping. Thirsty all the time. I feel baby kicks, just little ones but they are getting more noticeable every week!

Cravings: The Beach. Gardien chik’n fingers. Chocolate Cake.

Workouts this week: one 35-minute walk, one 20-minute leg and arm workout and one 90-minute pre-natal yoga class

Babymoon update: So Neil and I finally figured out a way to take a (sort of) babymoon. We had planned to just go to Boston for a short weekend getaway where we will be eating some tasty foods and getting massages (pre-natal for me and sports for him) and then we were going to head home and have a week off from work just to get things done around the house. Well fast forward to this week. Earlier this week my parents informed us that they were renting a condo in Myrtle Beach for the month of March and inquired if we would like to join them. Well unbeknownst to me Neil spent Tuesday evening researching flights and chatting with my mom while planning a way for us to meet up with them. Well to our luck since we were already going to be in Boston we could fly out of Logan and because my loving father agreed to drive three hours to Raleigh to pick us up because we were able to get amazingly cheap flights. So now we are spending five nights in Myrtle Beach and one night in Raleigh. Although it isn’t the babymoon of our dreams it is just the vacation that the both of us need.

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